Former Carolina Panthers MVP quarterback Cam Newton may have made the most shocking signing of the NFL offseason—well, second most-shocking compared to who he's succeeding—by agreeing to a deal with the New England Patriots.
After the shock of Cam Newton's new team settled, the next question to come up was, how will the signal-caller known for his mobility replace Tom Brady in the Patriots' vaulted offense?
Two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Phil Simms, a retired lifelong New York Giant and CBS Sports broadcaster, is bullish on Newton's chances in New England (via WEEI).
“I did 80 or more games as a TV announcer so I have watched everything,” Simms said. “I could say I know no team in football like I know them, or a coach like I know Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels. Let’s see. What have the done over the years? They’ve run five different offenses during the years. The offense they ran last year — run the ball, play-action passes, short passes over the middle mostly, tons of screens, throw it to the running back, I just don’t know if Cam Newton can do that. That would be so difficult. You hear the sarcasm, right?
“I love this talk of will he fit? What are we fitting? He has all the talent, the same traits as Tom Brady. Will he be the pocket passer and do all of those things? No, because he will roll out and run or throw it or do something different. I think it is a great fit for New England. I think it is a great fit for Cam Newton. I am sure Josh McDaniels is already going, ‘Well, let’s see here, what can I do?’ He loves nothing more than designing new plays for players that come in and again, think about what they have done.
“The four wide receivers years ago when they went 16-0, nobody else was doing it. Using the double tight end, they started that with Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) and Aaron Hernandez years ago. They started the slot wide receiver when they got Wes Welker. Then they started let’s throw it to the running back as our main option a lot of times because linebackers, or whoever, a safety can’t cover them once they come out of the backfield. I like their chances of finding ways to use Cam Newton.”
Cam Newton will get the keys of the offense, assuming he takes down QB competition in rising sophomore gunslinger Jarrett Stidham, and get a chance to work with Josh McDaniels, one of the most widely acclaimed offensive coordinators in the NFL.
The 31-year-old former number-one overall pick in 2011 was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Panthers in his nine-year career in Carolina. Cam Newton led a 15-1 Panther team to Super Bowl 50 before succumbing to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos (a franchise McDaniels previously coached years prior to that matchup).
Cam Newton threw for over 3,800 passing yards during his MVP season in 2015, rushing for another over 600 yards during that campaign, too. The Patriots' pass-catching group currently houses Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, Marqise Lee, and Jakobi Meyers, among others.
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